The Book of Mormon: A Reader's Edition [Hardcover]

Grant Hardy (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 2003

 

Regarded as sacred scripture by millions, the Book of Mormon -- first published in 1830 -- is one of the most significant documents in American religious history. This new reader-friendly version reformats the complete, unchanged 1920 text in the manner of modern translations of the Bible, with paragraphs, quotations marks, poetic forms, topical headings, multichapter headings, indention of quoted documents, italicized reworkings of biblical prophecies, and minimized verse numbers. It also features a hypothetical map based on internal references, an essay on Book of Mormon poetry, a full glossary of names, genealogical charts, a basic bibliography of Mormon and non-Mormon scholarship, a chronology of the translation, eyewitness accounts of the gold plates, and information regarding the lost 116 pages and significant changes in the text.

The Book of Mormon claims to be the product of three historical interactions: the writings of the original ancient American authors, the editing of the fourth-century prophet Mormon, and the translation of Joseph Smith. The editorial aids and footnotes in this edition integrate all three perspectives and provide readers with a clear guide through this complicated text. New readers will find the story accessible and intelligible; Mormons will gain fresh insights from familiar verses seen in a broader narrative context. This is the first time the Book of Mormon has been published with quotation marks, select variant readings, and the testimonies of women involved in the translation process. It is also the first return to a paragraphed format since versification was added in 1879.

Editorial Reviews

Review

 

"Hardy's thoughtful 'reader's edition' eliminates the current official text's knotty versification, clarifies the cast of characters, includes a useful introduction and provides signposts through the sometimes dense prose. . . . Essential for the full comprehension of Mormonism."--Wall Street Journal, Samuel Morris Brown

 

 

"Grant Hardy has provided the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with a remarkable new version of their founding text. Although Hardy gears his book to a broad readership, those who truly love the Book of Mormon, seek to be serious students of it, or both, will find A Reader's Edition well worth owning."--Louis Midgley in Insights

 

"This edition . . . makes the book especially helpful and intelligible to new readers and provides refreshing insights to Latter-day Saints."--BYU Magazine

About the Author

 

Grant Hardy is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and chair of the history department at the University of North Carolina at Asheville. He is the author of Worlds of Bronze and Bamboo: Sima Qian's Conquest of History.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 736 pages
• Publisher: University of Illinois Press; A reader's ed edition (June 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0252027973
• ISBN-13: 978-0252027970
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,005,317 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

83 of 85 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you are going to read it, start here, July 31, 2005

By 

j garr (Ohio, USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Book of Mormon: A Reader's Edition (Hardcover)

I have read Mr. Hardy's edition of this book from start to finish. But unlike many herein, I will address my comments not to whether the book is "right or wrong," but to whether it is useful, provides new insights to life, and is well written.

If you are going to read the Book of Mormon, this is the edition to read.

Like the Old Testament, the Book of Mormon structure, language, "flash backs", etc, can be a challenge just to get through. Hardy has changed that simply by updating the way the words are presented. By using the exact same words but

a) by putting them into a format more commonly used in our day and age,

b) by starting and ending some chapters in a more logical place,

c) by telling the reader in the difficult parts things such as "OK, now the next 10 chapters are a flashback in time" and then 10 chapters later "OK, that's the end of the flashback, now we're going back to our original story",

d)and by other such things,

Hardy makes the book much more readable and accessible. Which is probably why he named it "A Reader's Edition" as opposed to "An Analyst's Edition" that you really have to study, analyze and know a fair amount already just to finish the book.

So, this is a very valuable contribution to the world of religion and moral values because now one can more easily just "read" the book and get the big picture of it as a whole.

Again, if you are going to read the book, I'd suggest this edition.

47 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Take the "Duty" Out of Scripture Study, August 24, 2005

By 

John E. Enslen (Wetumpka, Alabama, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Book of Mormon: A Reader's Edition (Hardcover)

For those who have a problem with deleting chapters and verse numbers from the Book of Mormon, they need to remember four important things. First of all, the original authors did not write it with chapters and verses. Second, Joseph Smith did not translate it with double columns and verses. Third, the use of chapters and verses is merely a tool for allowing easy reference to the same location by multiple users in a joint-study setting. Fourth, the words of the Book of Mormon have not been changed or resequenced. They are the same as those found in the official edition from which this reader's edition is taken.

So far as personal study is concerned, double columns and verse numbers are an impeding hindrance, tending to interrupt the thought process, i.e., pondering. Furthermore, reading Grant Hardy's reader's edition of the Book of Mormon takes the sense of "duty" out of scripture study. Psychologically, one feels that he is reading a novel as opposed to scripture. By deleting the double columns, verse numbers, and verse indentions, the reading flows smoothly and uninterrupted. Grant's appropriate and timely subchapter headings give the reader a sneak preview of what's ahead, and thus increase one's anticipation, as well as one's understanding of the overall historical picture. Setting out the poetry in poetic form allows one to recognize literary beauty that would otherwise be overlooked.

Without the slightest hesitation, I recommend this version of the Book of Mormon to every person on planet earth literate in the English language. Happy reading! John E. Enslen, Wetumpka, Alabama

47 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Available Edition of the Book of Mormon, June 1, 2005

By 

Paul Mouritsen (Carson City, Nevada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Book of Mormon: A Reader's Edition (Hardcover)

As a former Mormon missionary, I know how difficult it is to get most people to read the Book of Mormon. The official edition is just too daunting and unapproachable for most to attempt. The dense, two column format, the verse and chapter headings that cut across the natural structure of the narrative, the way the poetic sections are crammed together and printed like prose, the lack of quotation marks to set off dialogue, and the massive system of cross references all make give the book a forbidding appearance that discourages all but the most determined readers.

This edition remedies these problems and adds a number of new and useful study aids, such as headings to set of the natural divisions of the text. The footnotes are brief and carefully chosen. The foreward provides a good introduction to the significance of the book. Much useful information is added in the appendices. There is a list of significant textual variations that should lay to rest the old ant-Mormon cavil about how the text has bee deliberately altered. There are useful dynastic charts and genealogical tables. One appendix includes fascinating primary accounts about the origins of the book. In short, it is an exquisite pleasure to read, even for those of us who are already thoroughly familiar with the book.

If the University of Illinois can publish such an attractive, read-friendly book, why can't the church print a more inviting missionary edition?